If you have ever received a poem, you have experienced the unique and rapidly vanishing understanding that a homemade gift touches the heart far more than any iTunes gift card ever can. So if you are asking the question, "what do I give to the person who has everything?" - consider poetry!
It makes for a delightfully personal gift for birthdays, graduations, weddings and party invites - and more. If you are particularly proud and you're up for a wedding speech, a well-written poem will steal the day. If you are in love, don't skip the poetic aspect of courtship! It will warm any lover, draw them closer, and leave a keepsake of your feelings for a long time to come. Yes, committing it to paper can make your heart race, but isn't that the point of intimate love? Taking a risk, choosing to be vulnerable and letting your words tumble out - uncensored and sincere?
So if you want to widen your "romance portfolio" to include one of the very oldest word-arts of all time, just jump in wherever you like. Poetry is like swimming - diving in is the hardest part, but once you find your favorite stroke, you feel like you could swim all day. And don't be shy about surprising others - picnics, unrequited love, dinner parties - poetry warms people wherever it goes.
Roses are red...
There is nothing wrong with the tried and true. One of the reasons this form has endured so many iterations is because both Red and Blue ("Roses are red, violets are blue...") are easy words to rhyme, and the classic "Valentine format" already has inherent humor. This is a great warm-up for any novice. If you are really blocked, brainstorm words that rhyme with blue. You, too, glue, Sue, moo. Don't censor yourself in any way. Poetry is about freedom, emotion and humor - the short, and the sweet.
Roses are red, violets are blue
Everyone can write poetry - even you!
Ancient wisdom
Mastering haiku can take you from intermediate all the way to serious poetry contender. Start easy, and then incorporate the historical attributes of this ancient and spiritual art form. Used in English since the 1800's, haiku was derived from a longer poetry form that used syllables the way a simple poem uses rhyme. More than one person would write strings of haiku (talk about a group project!).
So, if you are just moving up, start by simply trying out the 5-7-5-syllable guideline. No need to rhyme, and if you can complete a simple thought or picture - or integrate an allusion to the season - all the better.
I cut pineapple,
Juice staining my fingertips.
Yeah! - farmer's market.
A bus goes by now
I am not yet at the stop
A walk is ahead.
As you familiarize yourself with the form, you might shoot for the more-traditional Japanese version if it interests you. Haiku are meant to express something about nature, and in English some believe that a 2-3-2-syllable form is closer to the true intent of the haiku in Japanese. Again, just count it out on your fingers, and let your mind wander. Start with nature - and end in nature.
A flower
Smiles at me
And blooms.
Shooting for Shakespeare
Writing a sonnet is a spectacular way to mark any occasion - an anniversary, wedding, or the birth of a child. Or just to express something in your heart. And to show off the fact that you have graduated to advanced-level poetry! The form is three four-line sections, followed by two lines that rhyme with each other - so every other line rhymes for twelve lines until the final "couplet" (two lines that rhyme with each other only). Each line should have (about) ten syllables in it. There's a theme, a beginning and a climax. But perhaps just starting with a four-line quatrain is the way to go:
Reading this makes you willing to start,
Give poems to others all summer long -
Just look in deep, and write from your heart
And soon your love will start a fine word-song!
Whether you decide to explore a traditional style of poetry or use free verse, poetry is a great exercise for your head and your heart. If you find yourself at a loss for words, you can always copy or read one of the "classics" and tell the one you love that this poem reminded you of them. And you might even look at the sonnets of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, whose sonnets to her poet husband were legendary - and hot! Above all, have fun. That's what summer is for!
Are you looking to unlock your creativity? Let a psychic guide you. Call
1.800.573.4830 or
click here now.